President Donald Trump declared on 11 July that 1,000 missiles are “locked and loaded” and aimed at Iran, with orders already issued for the US military to “completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran” should Tehran attempt to assassinate him. The statement, posted on his Truth Social platform, specified that the authorisation remains in effect for one year, subject to extension, and that thousands more missiles would follow any initial strike. In a separate interview with the New York Post, Trump said he had “left instructions” for Iran to be bombed “at levels that they’ve never seen before” if an attempt on his life succeeded, adding that he had long been Iran’s “number one” target.

From Washington, the president’s remarks were accompanied by a dismissal of recent Israeli intelligence reports alleging a fresh Iranian assassination plot. Trump told the Post that “Israel came up with nothing,” while US officials expressed caution over the intelligence, with some suggesting it may be part of an effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to push Washington toward a more aggressive military posture against Tehran. The White House separately confirmed that security around the president had been heightened, including a last‑minute switch of aircraft during his return from a NATO summit in Ankara.

Tehran has denied any active plot and accused the United States of violating the terms of a memorandum of understanding that had paused hostilities. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that Iran had “kept its word” and pointed to what he described as US breaches, including new sanctions and military deployments. At the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — killed in US‑Israeli strikes earlier this year — mourners openly called for Trump’s death, with banners reading “Kill Trump” and chants of “Death to America,” underscoring the depth of animosity that has persisted since the 2020 US drone strike that killed Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

The diplomatic and military landscape has deteriorated rapidly. Trump declared the ceasefire “OVER” while simultaneously agreeing to continue talks, a contradiction that has left Qatari mediators scrambling to salvage a framework. The US has demanded that Iran publicly guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces attacked three commercial vessels; Tehran instead insists the waterway is under its control and has proposed charging transit fees, challenging decades of international norms. In response, the US launched two nights of airstrikes on Iranian military infrastructure, and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US positions in Bahrain and Kuwait. With the ceasefire effectively collapsed and both sides trading accusations of bad faith, the region faces the prospect of renewed large‑scale conflict. Qatari mediators remain in Tehran, but no date has been set for further direct negotiations, and the US military posture signals a readiness to escalate if the president’s stated red line is crossed.